


Generations

by mishmewisha



Category: Firebringer - Team StarKid, Hatchetfield Universe - Team StarKid
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Child Abuse, Death, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Ghosts, Happy Ending, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Loving Marriage, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Meet-Cute, Multi, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29365824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mishmewisha/pseuds/mishmewisha
Summary: Zazzalil was gone. For thousands of years her soul was at rest as bloodline continued through the centuries. Through caves and villages and forests and cities and castles, her ancestors went about their lives having no idea what happened to Zazzalil. The firebringer. She was really gone.Until she wasn’t.orZazzalil the ghost isn't all that happy when she gets woken up by her great-great-great-etc granddaughter, Emma Perkins.
Relationships: Emma Perkins & Jane Perkins, Emma Perkins & Zazzalil (Firebringer), Jemilla & Zazzalil (Firebringer), Jemilla/Zazzalil (Firebringer), Paul Matthews & Emma Perkins, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins
Comments: 14
Kudos: 42





	1. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zazzalil was having a nice morning with her wife. But a certain rustling noise lures her outside and to say the least, it doesn't end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for death and blood

The village was quiet on that fateful spring morning. Zazzalil had woken up beside her wife and daughter just like she always did. The sunlight was streaming through the small holes in the roof, making a pattern of randomly placed dots along the walls and floors. Zazzalil couldn’t help but smile that morning. It was so warm and comfortable. 

She rolled over and wrapped her arms around Jemilla, smiling wider as she took in her warmth. Mornings like this made their years of hardships and struggles worth it. Zazzalil knew she would have to get up soon and work today but there was no reason not to enjoy the morning. She had a wonderful family that she needed to appreciate. 

Soon, Jemilla began to stir. She turned around in her wife's arms, smiling to herself. “Zazzalil?” She mumbled, leaning into her. “What are you doing up so early?”

Zazzalil shrugged. “Just loving you, Jem. How’d you sleep?”

“Good.” Jemilla leaned up to give her wife a kiss. “Had some cool dreams about you, you know. Some… fun ones.”

Zazzalil smirked. “Maybe we’ll have to make those dreams a reality later.” She gently pushed her wife on her back and pushed herself on top. She straddled Jemilla’s waist, that smirk still there. “Or now.”

Jemilla sighed. “As beautiful as you are, our daughter is about five feet away and she doesn’t need to see that.”

Zazzalil groaned, laying on top of Jemilla. “Fine… we better do it later though.”

“We will, Zazz.” She kissed Zazzalil’s head. “I actually found this really beautiful flower-”

Zazzalil and Jemilla both froze, looking straight at each other. They had heard a rustling outside their house. By the back wall. Their daughter was still in bed fast asleep so it couldn’t have been her. And it didn’t sound like a rabbit or a squirrel. Those were footsteps.

Zazzalil motioned for her wife to be quiet before standing up, taking care to not make any noise. She grabbed her spear off the wall and crept out the door. She looked around the house. There wasn’t anyone or anything around that could’ve made that sound. In fact, there was nothing. It was just as quiet and calm as it was before. 

Until it wasn’t.

◖❂◗

Zazzalil stopped dead in her tracks. Pain. Chest. Ow. What the fuck? She saw a bush rustle on the edge of the forest. Something was in there. Or someone. She didn’t know what it was but she knew she was just attacked. On purpose. Who the hell had it out for her? She really wished she had time to figure it out.

She looked down to where the majority of the pain was. Ah. An arrow. That would explain it. “Oh, fuck me…” She collapsed onto the ground, her spear rolling just out of reach. Damn. She felt heavy. Was she breathing? Did she forget how to breathe? Nope, breathing just hurts, yep, okay.

Her panicked and fading thoughts were cut off by a voice. Jemilla. Oh, god, Jemilla. She was about to die and Jemilla had to watch. 

“Zazzalil? Zazzalil, oh my god, what happened?” Jemilla asked, a clear fear in her voice.

“Someone… In the woods. I don’t-” She coughed up a little blood. Oh, shit. “I don’t know. I- I- I love you. Jemilla. Okay? Don’t you- you ever fucking forget that.” Zazzalil’s vision started to fade away but she could still feel Jemilla’s tears falling onto her. Oh, that was depressing.

“I love you too, Zazzalil. I love you too.” Jemilla pulled her wife in for a tight hug, whispering sweet nothings, final words, and promises into her ear. The last things they’d ever share. By the end of it, both of their clothes were covered in dark red bloodstains and tears. 

Jemilla slowly let go, looking down at the person she had loved more than anything for years and years. She looked peaceful, almost asleep. But there was still a small look of fear there. Fear for the unknown. Fear for her family. Fear for the tribe. That’s how Jemilla knew. 

Zazzalil was gone. 

◖❂◗

And Zazzalil was gone. For thousands of years, her soul was at rest as her bloodline continued through the centuries. Through caves and villages and forests and cities and castles, her descendents went about their lives having no idea what happened to Zazzalil. The firebringer. She was really gone.

Until she wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> id like to personally apologize for that one. it'll get better though! eventually.


	2. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma has a little go with a lighter in her room, but seems messing with fire angers her ancestor. Whoops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for self-harm, abuse, bad households

1989\. Quite the change from the dawn of the stone age. But it was just as special as all those years ago. Zazzalil was born thousands upon thousands of years ago in a time of discovery and fear, and her maternal bloodline had carried through the years. It was a straight chain of daughters and mothers all the way from Zazzalil to the most recent descendent, Emma Perkins. Born in 1989.

Emma wasn’t the only direct female descendant this time though. Jane Perkins was born first but she wasn’t as stubborn or hot-headed as the rest of the line. In fact, she was patient and easy-going. Quite the change from her mother who tended to lash out at things. Especially Emma as they got older. But never Jane. She was the quiet, patient one. She wanted peace. And Emma was the stubborn, determined one. She wanted to start fires. 

Neither one of their personalities changed as they grew older, but Emma learned to repress hers. She hid away her anger and her fear and her stubbornness from the world, scared something would happen to her if she lashed out. But no matter how hard she tried to be as patient and caring as her sister, it never worked. She could sit politely and quietly through dinner and do all of her chores but she would still end up in bed that night with more bruises than before. 

Emma’s mother wasn’t a caring person. In fact, she was quite the opposite. She took the hot-headedness their family was known for to a new level. She kept her anger away from certain things though, like the church and Jane. But for the most part, she didn’t give a shit about anything or anyone else. She had priorities. And being a mother to Emma was not one of them.

◖❂◗

“Emma Lee Perkins!”

Emma froze. She had just been trying to clean her bedroom up a little in an effort to not get yelled at today. Seemed it didn’t work. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself down before heading down the stairs. Any attempts she would’ve made to calm herself wouldn’t have worked though. No matter how hard she tried, she was always just as scared as usual.

Emma stepped into the kitchen, unsure of what she messed up this time. “Yes, mom?”

“Ah finally, you little shit,” Mrs. Perkins hissed. “I told you to have the laundry done and the chicken defrosted by the time I got home. So why the fuck is the chicken frozen solid and why are the dirty clothes still piling up?!”

Emma was confused. She racked her brain for any possible memory of getting told to do those things but was coming up with nothing. “You- You didn’t tell me to do those things, mom-”

She was cut off by a slap across her cheek. “Yes! I did! Next time fucking listen and maybe we wouldn’t have this problem!” Mrs. Perkins kicked Emma’s leg, knocking her down to the ground. “Do the chores and go to your room. I don’t wanna see your face for the rest of the night.” She gave her one more kick to the ribs before disappearing into the living room, leaving Emma on the floor in tears.

After getting over a bit of the pain, Emma pushed herself up and did her assigned chores as quickly as she could. She just wanted to go back to her room. Sleep maybe. Cry some more. She didn’t know. All she knew was that she wanted to be alone.

◖❂◗

The second Emma was back in her room with her door locked, she curled up in the corner, letting the tears come. Her mom had been treating her like this for years but somehow it felt a little worse each time. She was already past the point of coping healthily with her problems. She started to self-harm when she was thirteen after her mom had hit her and yelled at her for over an hour. She wanted to yell back. She wanted to attack her. She wanted her revenge. She wanted to start that fire between her and her mom that would never burn out. But she never had the courage to. The fire between them stayed one way. Emma’s was out.

She reached into her backpack and pulled out a small, blue lighter. She had stolen it out of some kids' pocket the day before at school. She would’ve asked him where he got it from but she wasn’t good at conversation. So she just took it. 

Emma clicked the little lighter on, staring at the dancing flame for a little while. She thought back to all the times her mother hurt her. All the times she had been scared out of her mind. Every single one hurt her more and more every day. She needed to cope with it all somehow.

Normally, she used a small pocket knife for this, but this time she had a lighter. Might as well make it useful. She held it close to her arm, already feeling the heat of it. Something about it was comforting. She had control over this one thing. And she knew what she was going to do. 

Emma moved the flame against her arm, holding it there for a few seconds before pulling it away. A few tears rolled down her cheeks and she squeezed her eyes shut. That hurt more than she was expecting. She took a deep breath to center herself again but something smelled off. It smelled… smokey. Like a fire. She opened her eyes again and looked at the little lighter in her hand. It was off. And nothing was on fire. Was her mom really that bad at cooking? 

She looked up, still trying to figure out the smell. That was when she saw the source. A swirling sea of embers and smoke right in front of her. But it was a shape. A familiar one. That looked like a person. Emma was rightfully scared out of her mind and scooted further into the corner. Whatever the hell voodoo witchcraft shit was going on, she did not want to be a part of it.

Then the thing sat up. It seemed just as confused and scared as Emma was. But then, it turned around and looked straight at her. They locked eyes. Well, one of them had eyes. The other one was some sort of fire spirit or something and its eyes were made of smoke and sparks. But what was really scary was that it spoke. 

“You!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well... gotta get worse before it can get better. thanks for reading!


	3. Glowing Embers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zazzalil wakes up and scares the absolute shit out of Emma. Thankfully, Emma has a much calmer sister that she can run to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw / cw for mentions of abuse ?

Zazzalil was confused and scared. The last thing she remembered was Jemilla holding her and promising to find her again someday. And she was outside. Also, it had been morning. She wasn’t sure where she was now but it certainly wasn’t her home. Here, she was clearly not outside and it was definitely not morning anymore. Jemilla wasn’t here either. She didn’t like that. 

She opened her eyes. Wherever she was, it was not her style. She missed the grass under her feet and the smell of home. This place already felt cramped and uncomfortable. She sat up, getting a gauge of her surroundings. She looked down at herself next. Her body was gone. She was a smoky and fiery cloud swirling around to make the shape of her body. When she looked closer, she could even see the hole in her dress where she got shot. Gross.

But besides that, something in her mind told her she was here for a reason. For some reason, she knew it had been thousands upon thousands of years since she took her last breath. But something was really bothering her. Maybe… Jemilla? No… Her lack of needing to breathe? No, that was obvious… Maybe… She turned around. Aha! Whoever this girl is, she has just raised her from the dead and she was not at all happy about it.

“You!” 

She stood up, noticing that her spear was there too. Huh. Helpful. She picked it up, pointing it at the girl in front of her. The embers floating around in the smoke of her body and spear began to glow brighter and flicker aggressively with her anger. “I have been dead for thousands of years and you decide to wake me up now?! What the fuck did you do?! Did you fuck with fire?! Throw a spear through someone's window?! I-” She noticed the little burn mark on this girl's arm. There it was. “You burned yourself? Really? I did not work my fucking ass off discovering and trying to control that shit for you to be sitting here burning yourself! On purpose! What do you have to say for yourself, hm? Anything?”

Emma was absolutely frozen. She was pretty certain she was seeing things at this point. Her mental stability was already down the drain so it wasn't totally impossible. She blinked a few times, trying to get the smoke lady to go away. But this only raised more questions. One, why wouldn't she go away? And two, why did she look so much like her?

Emma looked the figure over, noticing the similarities between her and the smokey spirit. The short stature, the frizzy and untamed hair, the soft yet angry facial expression. They could be twins. Maybe more fraternal than exactly identical but they were similar. 

"Who– What are you?" Emma asked, scooting closer to the wall. This could be a murderous ghost, she didn't know. 

"Dumb question, girl! I'm Zazzalil! I discovered fire and made the first spear! All that shit! What? Did you not know?" Zazzalil asked, moving her spear away as she noticed the fear in this girl's eyes. 

"N– No one knows who discovered any of that. It was, like, a million years ago." 

Zazzalil paused. A million years? A million years since she randomly died on that quiet spring morning? A million years since she last saw her wife and daughter? A million years since she last told either of them she loved them? A million god damn stupid years? Everything and everyone she knew and loved was gone. That wasn't comforting. 

“A million? That… okay. So my wife is dead… Great. Cool.” Zazzalil’s mind was going about a million miles an hour. Her mind had told her Jemilla was dead when she got here but having it put in perspective was painful. But that meant that she was here for this girl and nothing else. This girl who messed with fire. This girl who looked like her. Her descendant. 

“Oh! You’re–” Zazzalil looked up just to see the girl was gone. She ran away. That wasn’t gonna help her be dead again.

“Oh, for fucks sake!” 

◖❂◗

Emma looked up at the spirit in front of her. She was clearly having a bit of a crisis and Emma didn’t want to disturb that. So, she took her chance and snuck away. Her shoulder went right through the smoke of the thing as she crept past her. It caused the smoke to dissipate and flutter in the air before it got pulled back in to make up the dress of this ghost thing. Huh.

Emma looked up again. Didn’t disturb the thing at all. Good to know. So she ran off, straight for her sister’s room. It was the safest place—other than her room—that didn’t involve sneaking out. Jane always helped her when she was going through it. She was sure she’d help this time. So, Emma burst into the room, immediately wrapping her arms around her sister. That was a lot better than watching some ghost float around her room. 

Jane was confused but she returned the hug. She hadn’t heard the yelling from her mother earlier. This could be about anything this time. But she could see the tears that had stained Emma’s cheeks. She knew it had to be bad. 

“Emma? What happened?” She asked, her concern for her sister growing by the second.

Emma sniffed. She knew she couldn’t tell her sister that a ghost appeared in her room and she was scared. That sounded way too weird. But there was still a ghost. And it was scary. ‘I- I had this dream and- and this ghost,” sniff. “ghost spirit thing a- appeared in my room and it- it- it felt too real and-” 

“Whoa, hey, calm down,” Jane said softly, looking down at her sister. “It was just a dream, wasn’t it?”

“Didn’t feel like it…” Emma mumbled, holding Jane tighter.

“Oh, Emma…” Jane gently rubbed her back, trying to think back to the psychology books she had read. That was her passion. Working with the mind. “Come on, sit down.” She guided Emma to sit on the edge of her bed. “What happened?”

Emma sniffed, wiping away her tears with her sleeve. “Um, M- Mom called me downstairs and she hit me and- and yelled at me because I… I barely even know. Then when I- I- I got back t- to my room, I mu- must’ve fallen asleep ca- cause this… this lady appeared. Sh- She was made of smoke and embers and- and told me that she- she discovered fire or something. And- And she looked like me too. We were th- the same height and- and we had the same hair and…” Emma trailed off, noticing the spirit in question standing in the doorway. She didn’t look at it, but it was still scaring her.

Jane nodded along, silently taking a seat next to her sister. “Alright… I think you might just be stressed, Em. Your encounter with mom must’ve scared you so much that your mind fed off of it while you were sleeping.”

Emma nodded, staring at the floor. “Yeah- Yeah, that makes sense.” 

Jane looked at her sister. Maybe a good taste of nostalgia would help. “Why don’t you sleep in here with me tonight, yeah? Like when we were kids?”

Emma looked up at her sister. She was doing everything she could to avoid looking at that ghost. “Really? Tha- That would really help.”

Jane nodded. “Yeah, of course. Come on, lay down.” Jane stood up and pulled back the blankets before Emma hesitantly crawled under them. “I’m gonna go brush my teeth and stuff, okay? I’ll be back in a minute.” Jane offered her a small smile, before disappearing out into the hall. She walked right through the spirit without even realizing it.

Emma shut her eyes, praying that the ghost thing didn’t try to talk to her again. She was stressed enough. She did not need a goddamn smoke lady from the stone age yelling at her again.

And much to her surprise, the spirit didn’t talk to her again. Zazzalil was distracted by other thoughts about this second girl. She figured that they were sisters. Or at least close in some way. They looked related though. But this second girl reminded Zazzalil of someone. She looked vaguely like her old friend Schwoopsie but her personality reminded her of a different person. The person she loved. Jemilla. 

Emma was the firebringer, Jane was her peacemaker. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well hey it wasn't as sad as the last chapter so at least that's something. thanks for reading!


	4. Make Him Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> High school things. Zazzalil can help though

Days, weeks, months passed. Emma still hadn’t figured out why this stupid spirit Zazzalil lady wouldn’t leave her alone. Every night she would have to tune out the noise of the ghost pacing back and forth in her room. Her soft glow still hadn’t dimmed since that first night. Emma knew she was mad. But how was she, a seventeen-year-old teenage girl living in the early 2000s, supposed to help her great-grandma who died in the stone age? Neither of them had any idea at all. 

But Zazzalil was gonna go back to be dead if it was the last thing she did. And it better be. Otherwise, Zazzalil might start using spirit powers to light some forests on fire.

◖❂◗

Ring!

Emma was jolted awake by the school bell. Physics. She was in physics class. On Wednesday. And now she had lunch. Right. She shook her head to wake herself up and quickly grabbed her things. This wasn’t the first time she had fallen asleep in class and she knew it wouldn’t be the last. Something about the angry ghost who didn’t sleep following her around 24/7 was messing up her sleep schedule. 

She quickly rushed out of the classroom, avoiding the teacher at all costs. She did not need another damn lecture about sleeping in class. But she couldn’t avoid lectures completely. Zazzalil was still there. 

“Excuse me, Emma, were you sleeping in class?” Zazzalil asked. She didn’t know why she cared or even what sort of class it was. But she learned things. So Emma was supposed to be learning in those rooms full of chairs and tables. That was what she had deducted.

Emma looked around. The halls were absolutely crowded. About three days into having her ghost twin attached to her hip she realized people could hear her talking, but not Zazzalil. So to not look like a weirdo, she only talked to her when they were alone or it was very loud. Right now, it was the latter.

“You’re a fucking ghost, don’t lecture me on this.” Emma made a beeline for her locker, already growing frustrated in the feeling of the spirit behind her. 

“Well, you’re supposed to be learning things! I don’t want my bloodline to be a dumb one!” 

“Oh, whatever.” Emma huffed, opening up her locker. She just needed to grab her lunch and another one of her books but someone slipped a note in her locker. A part of her was hoping it was from her boyfriend. She had felt disconnected from him for a while. Emma flipped over the envelope, surprised to see what it said on the front. 

_Sorry. Call me if you need anything_

_\- Big D_

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. Dave was her best friend and she knew for a fact he would never leave a note in her locker like this. She opened up the envelope and pulled out… photos? Of her boyfriend. With… another girl. Emma stared for a good few seconds, only being broken out of her trance of anger and confusion by the voice of Zazzalil. Great.

“Who’s that?” Zazzalil asked, fiddling with the twine on the end of her spear.

Emma didn’t answer this time. There was too much on her mind. She had been stressed out more than ever and abused by her mother every night and to top it all off, she got photos of her boyfriend making out with another girl in her locker. She couldn’t blame him. Ever since Zazzalil had shown up she had had no time to hang out with him. That didn’t mean she was any less angry. 

Emma slammed the door of her locker shut and ran off to the bathroom. The one on the far end of the school that no one used. She slammed the door shut and locked it. She needed to be alone. But not all dreams came true.

Zazzalil had followed her all the way to the bathroom. She had an obligation to make sure this girl didn’t do anything bad. The stupid universe and its stupid spirit duties. Zazzalil walked through the door, literally, a few moments after Emma just to find her on the floor with tears in her eyes and her lighter in her hand. Well, they couldn’t have that. 

“Put down your little fire thing, girl! You know you’re not supposed to mess with that!”

“Shut up!” Emma yelled back. “Just shut up! My entire life is falling apart at the seams and you’re in here yelling at me!” She stood up, walking right through the spirit. “This is all your fault anyway so pack it up and go! Here’s your stupid parting gift!” Emma flicked the lighter on and held it against her arm until she cried out in pain and tossed it on the floor.

“I don’t know if you forgot, but I can’t go anywhere! So, stop fucking burning yourself and start thinking about your actions!” Zazzalil slammed the end of her spear into the floor, causing sparks to fly up. Not ghost ones that only Emma could see. Real sparks. 

Emma sunk down, her back against the tiled wall of the school bathroom. She knew trying not to cry was useless so she just let the tears come. “You- You don’t understand. You’re from the goddamn stone age!” 

Zazzalil rolled her eyes. “So? I’ve spent months following you around! You have so many stupid problems! Hell, you didn’t even like that Harvey kid!”

“Harry-”

“Whatever! Find someone you actually love before you start crying over them.” 

Emma sniffled, squeezing her eyes shut. She knew Zazzalil was right but it didn’t make it hurt any less. “So… what? I can’t be sad? I can’t be hurt? I have to just sit and take it?”

“No. You can feel things. But… try something different.” Zazzalil sighed, thinking it over. “Burn the pictures.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Take those pictures and set them on fire. Watch him burn.” 

Emma looked at the envelope she had dropped on the floor. That wasn’t the worst idea she had heard all day. And they were in the bathroom. When in doubt, they could just get some water from the sink. “Okay… Yeah. Okay.” She stood up, grabbing her lighter and the photos.

“There you go! Burn that motherfucker to dust.”

Emma stood at the sink, the photos in one hand and her lighter in the other. She took a deep breath and flicked the lighter on. “The fire alarm better not go off.” She held the small flame up to the pictures and they slowly began to burn. Emma and Zazzalil watched every second of it. The dancing flame grew stronger and soon consumed the face of the lying asshole and his new girlfriend. Soon, there was nothing left but small bits of ash on the counter and the smell of smoke in the air.

Emma took another deep breath. Oddly enough, she felt better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it was dramatic, but it was a good time. the next chapter should be exciting though. thanks for reading!


	5. A New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma leaves for Guatemala... Without telling anyone.

A few more months passed. Emma was still trying to figure out how and why she had a ghost following her around but she hadn’t come up with anything yet. She was starting to become a little concerned if she was being honest but she had bigger fish to fry. She had just graduated from high school quite literally yesterday. She was eighteen and free from the burdens of her parents and school. So, she bought a one-way ticket to Guatemala and was speed-packing everything that meant anything to her. 

She was throwing clothes, pictures, and keepsakes all into her suitcase as fast as she could. Emma knew she wouldn’t have extra space once she got there so she needed to only take the bare minimum. But she couldn’t bear to leave behind certain keepsakes. She had only managed to keep one friend group for more than a few months and now she was leaving them without a word. She had to keep something from them. So, she grabbed a folder and stuffed every single photo she had with them in there. She started to feel a little bad as she finished packing up her things. She was leaving behind everything she ever knew for a life in a completely different country. But it was better than staying with her parents. 

All she had to worry about was her great-grandma, Zazzalil, who was currently pacing back and forth in her room. 

"Okay… So, you're just leaving this… very large village? Whatever it's called." Zazzalil asked, clearly stressed. Her embers were flickering like crazy. 

Emma sighed, tossing some shoes in her suitcase. “Yeah. Why? You got a problem with that, ghostie?” 

Zazzalil huffed, beginning to pace a little quicker. “No. No, but what if you’re not supposed to leave? I mean… you’re clearly supposed to be with Jill-”

“Jane.”

“I don’t care!” Zazzalil shook her head. “She’s the one that always helps you and calms you down. She’s your Jemilla! You need her!”

Emma rolled her eyes, letting out a sigh. “I get that you’re sad about your wife but seriously, I don’t care. I am leaving this god damn stupid town and I am not coming back. I am an adult and I do not have to listen to a thing you say.” She shut her suitcase and zipped it up, desperate to get out of the house.

Zazzalil sighed, stopping her pacing. “But… what about me? Huh? I’m attached to you by some weird spirit shit! So I just have to follow you around wherever you’re going and you’re not even gonna try to help me?”

“Well…” Emma swung her backpack over her shoulder, grabbing the final things she wanted from her room. “Yeah. I guess that’s the case. Who knows? You’re supposed to be the elder here so figure it out.” She shook her head, reaching into her drawer to grab her last thing. Her little blue lighter. 

“You-” Zazzalil looked at the little fire thing in her granddaughter's hand. “Leave it.” 

Emma rolled her eyes, stuffing it in her pocket. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“You  _ just  _ said I’m your elder or whatever. So leave your little fire maker here and make some damn peace with yourself.” Zazzalil gave her a slightly aggressive look, the small fire flickering in her eyes. 

Emma huffed. “. . .Fine. Only because I can’t take it on the airplane. But I am going to leave it somewhere safe.” She wrote out a quick sticky note and stuck it on top. Emma grabbed all of her bags and made her way down the hall to Jane’s room. She wasn’t home right now so this should be quick. 

“What are you doing with that?” Zazzalil asked, following her into the new room.

“Leaving it with someone safe.” Emma opened up Jane’s top drawer and left it right inside. She knew her sister would see it eventually. This made her realize something though. She didn’t tell anyone she was leaving. Not even Jane. She told herself she should just go. It wasn’t that important. Right? “Hey, cave lady? Should I have told anyone I was leaving?”

Zazzalil furrowed her eyebrows. “How the hell am I supposed to know?”

Emma looked down at the little blue lighter and the sticky note.  _ Keep this safe for me. -E.  _ She sighed. “It’s fine.” Emma picked up her suitcase and her backpack and immediately headed down the stairs and straight for the door. She didn’t want to be there anymore. She grabbed the door handle, hesitating for a second. She knew she would never be allowed back here after this. She looked down at the bruises at the burn marks on her arms. All because of her mother. Or lack thereof. She let out the breath she was holding and finally just opened the door and left. No more family, no more friends, no more damn responsibilities she didn’t want to have. Just her. And the ghost lady currently yelling at her.

“Hey! Emberly! Look at this!”

Emma sighed. “It’s Emma-” She turned around just to see Jane in the back of a car with… “Is that Tom Houston? Are they fucking?! Nope, nope, I’m out of here.” She quickly pulled out her flip phone and called herself a taxi. Gross. She got her confirmation that her ride was on route only to turn back and see Zazzalil. Still by the car. “Are you still watching?!”

“No! Yes! I dunno!” Zazzalil stepped away from the car, the embers on her cheeks lighting up from the embarrassment. 

“You are so gross.” Emma shook her head, crossing her arms.

Zazzalil gave her a look. “Oh, come on! I haven’t gotten any in a million years!”

“Still gross!” 

“You’re mean.” Zazzalil came up and stood beside Emma, arms crossed.

“You’re gross.”

“Shut up-”

“Emma?!”

Zazzalil and Emma both jumped at the sound of a third voice. They probably should’ve expected it considering they were yelling but hey, no one said they were smart. Emma flipped around, the speed nearly making Zazzalil drop her spear. They were a chaotic pair.

“Jane? Uh… Hi. Hi. Um… How’s it… hangin’?” Emma asked, praying Jane wouldn’t start asking questions about the suitcase.

Jane looked Emma over, poking her head out of the window of Tom’s car. She gracefully ignored the sound of Tom asking her to shut the window again. She had other things to worry about. “Good… Who were you talking to? And why are you out here? And why do you have a suitcase, where are you going?”

Emma bit her lip. Well… shit. “It- It’s none of your business, okay? It’s personal.”

Jane raised an eyebrow. “Personal? You look like you’re moving out! Are… you moving out?”

“I-” Emma paused. She didn’t know how to answer that.

“I say make a run for it,” Zazzalil said.

Emma sighed. Zazzalil’s advice had worked so far… “Is maybe a good enough answer?”

Jane gave her a look. “You know it’s-” She was abruptly cut off by the sound of a car horn. She thought it was Tom but it was Emma’s taxi. Was she actually leaving?

Emma looked between her ride and Jane. Well… grandma said so. “Sorry, Jane!” She quickly ran off, tossing her things in the back. “I’ll call you when I land! Bye!” Emma hopped in the car and they sped off, leaving Jane a little confused and hurt. And shirtless.

“So, can we get back to it now?” Tom asked, his hands landing on Jane’s waist.

Jane sighed, watching the car drive away. “I love you, Tom. But no.”

◖❂◗

It was a long drive to the airport. Or at least it felt long. Emma wished she would’ve told Jane before she ran off abruptly. She had done so much for her and she couldn’t just repay the favor by telling her she was leaving? Was she even a good sister? She certainly didn’t know. Those thoughts pounded at her head all the way to Guatemala. She had a mini-breakdown in the family bathroom while she was waiting for the plane, she couldn’t bring herself to watch a movie or anything while she was on the plane, and now she was in Guatemala, trying to suppress her feelings so she could find where she was staying for the night. 

“You know, I honestly don’t think not talking about this is healthy,” Zazzalil commented, following Emma through the streets of Guatemala City.

Emma sighed. She pulled out her phone and put it to her ear so no one would think she was talking to herself. “You know something, I do not care,” 

“You seem stressed.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Oh really? The last time I checked, you weren’t my therapist. So, literally, just leave me alone.”

Zazzalil gave her a look. “You know that’s not an option. So, come on. Let’s talk about it.”

“No.”

Zazzalil sighed. God, children sucked sometimes. “You know, before I died, I had a daughter. She was thirteen the last time I saw her. But that’s not the point. She was stubborn as hell. She wanted to do everything right and be right all the time. But sometimes, that only brought trouble. One time she ran away because she insisted that she didn’t want to be a hunter and she ended up falling from a tree and hitting her head so hard that she was recovering for two months.”

Emma sighed, looking her map over. “Okay? What in the world does that have to do with me and my life choices?”

“I’m saying… if you feel like you made a mistake, do what you can to fix it. Call Jaime-”

“Jane.”

“I still do not care. But call her and tell her what’s happening.” Zazzalil gave her a look. “It might help.”

Emma sighed. She hated that Zazzalil was right. “Fine. I will call her when we get to the hostel.” 

“Good. Now, where are we going?”

Emma took a turn. “Should just be…” She walked down the block until she finally ran into her hostel. “Aha! Here we are.”

Zazzalil furrowed her eyebrows. “This place? Really?” She looked over the small building. It looked new-ish but it looked small and somehow overgrown. Hm.

“What? It’s only like twenty bucks a night. It’ll be great.”

“If you say so. I want my own bed though.”

“Not happening.”

“Damn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was a fun one. I hope you all enjoyed! Kudos and comments always appreciated.
> 
> thanks for reading!


	6. Jane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Jane through the years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw mention of death

Emma missed Jane. Of course, she missed Jane. She didn’t even say goodbye before she ran off and hopped in that taxi that day. She regretted that more than anything. Jane was the only person in her family that had ever truly loved her and she completely betrayed that trust by picking up and leaving. Emma was pretty certain she had ruined their relationship, at least for the time being. She wanted to fix it but it was too late now. She left and she wasn’t going back.

The two sisters did manage to work things out though. After several long phone calls and many disagreements, they agreed on one, at least thirty-minute phone call every week to catch up. They didn’t want to lose each other, so they kept that. The most interesting calls were always when Jane would invite Emma back home for different events. Happened all the time. Emma learned to turn them down.

“Hey, Jane. Whatcha doing today, hm?” Emma asked, her phone pressed between her ear and her shoulder as she tried to get her dinner ready. 

“Nothing much... Just planning my bridal shower!” Jane said excitedly.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. “Wait, what the fuck! When did you get engaged!”

Jane laughed a bit. “Last weekend! Tom-”

“Tom? Tom Houston? You seriously still wanna marry that guy?” Emma asked, exchanging a look with Zazzalil. They had had too many long talks about that guy.

“Emma, he’s a sweet guy! You’ve only met him once and it was, like, two years ago.”

“Still don’t like him.”

Jane sighed. “Well… whatever. As long as you’re civil at the wedding, I don’t care.”

“Civil at the…” Emma mumbled. Ah, fuck. “Wedding? You’re inviting me? To- To that?” She leaned against the counter, suddenly concerned.

“Of course I am, Emma. I actually want you to be my maid of honor… Why? What are you thinking about right now?” Jane asked, that same concern in her voice that Emma had. 

Emma sighed. “Jane… I can’t afford that. You know I would be there if I could.”

“I can help pay for your plane ticket, Em.”

“It’s not just the plane ticket, Jane! I have to get a taxi to the airport which is two hours away, I have to fly there and back, I have to get a hotel, bridesmaid dress, and I mean the list goes on.” Emma sighed. “I’m sorry, Jane, but I can’t make it to this one.”

Jane sighed. “Alright… But we’re gonna video call you into the wedding, I don’t care what you’re doing.”

“Yeah, okay, I can work with that.”

And so that’s what they did. Emma video called into the wedding and was able to watch the entire thing from the comfort of her own home. Zazzalil sat beside her the whole time, commenting on the outfits and the ceremony. She had never seen a modern wedding. It was kinda cool. But soon it came to an end and Emma and Jane went back to their normal weekly calls. Until…

“Emma, I’m in labor!”

Emma’s eyes widened. “Jesus Christ, since when are you fucking pregnant!? And why are you calling me?! Go to the hospital!”

Jane did some deep breaths. “I’m fine. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. But come home soon? Please? You’ve gotta meet your nephew!”

“Jane, first of all, you know I’m poor. Second of all, go to the fucking hospital!” 

“I’m in the car!” 

“Focus on the baby!”

“But are you coming home?!” Jane yelled, clearly in pain.

“Jane, Jesus-” Emma sighed. “No, Jane, you know I can’t, okay?! Go give birth and call me later!”

“Tom, drive fucking faster! And Emma, fine! I want to see you before I die though!” Jane hung up, probably by accident. A lot was going on.

But there was still more.

“Emma, come on, It’s Tim’s fifth birthday! He really wants to meet his aunt Emma.”

Emma sighed. “Okay, I’m sure he’s great but I don’t do well with kids! And I still can’t afford it!”

“You need a better job, Emma. Maybe you should go back to school.”

“First of all, fuck that. Second of all, I still can’t afford that either.”

“God, you’re lame.”

And more.

“Emma, mom died, you have to come to the funeral,” Jane told her. 

“Uh, fuck no, fuck her, and fuck the funeral. I hate her.”

Jane paused. “Yeah, okay, she sucked, I won’t argue with you on this one.”

“Thank you!”

And finally…

Emma picked up her phone, noticing Jane’s name on the front. It wasn’t their normal time but she wasn’t busy. “Hey-”

“Emma, Jane’s dead!” Tom’s voice yelled, riddled with sobs.

“Whoa, wait, back up, what’s happening?” Emma asked, suddenly very anxious.

“We were in a car accident and…” Emma kind of tuned out after that. The ambulance sirens in the background just felt like they were getting louder and louder and louder until finally… She was suddenly back in Hatchetfield with a suitcase and a ghost. Well, shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!


End file.
